Advantage of Balloon Guide Catheter During Endovascular Treatment of Direct Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula: Technical Note and Report of 2 Cases.

Abstract

As previous studies reported, the balloon guide catheter is useful for identifying the fistula point during diagnosis of direct carotid-cavernous sinus fistula (d-CCF). We demonstrate an additional advantage of the balloon guide catheter during intraarterial endovascular treatment of d-CCF. Two cases of d-CCF are presented in this report. A balloon guide catheter is used to help achieve successful coil embolization of the fistula in both cases. Microcatheter positioning into the fistulous point can be easier after balloon inflation. Balloon inflation can help with coil deployment. Using a balloon guiding catheter can reduce internal carotid artery flow near the fistula point at the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery. As a result, better identification of the fistula point can be made, which allows easier placement of the microcatheter into the fistula point and more stable coil deployment.